


Journey

by Destril



Series: EverPanther AU's [1]
Category: Black Panther (2018), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, BAMF Everett, BAMF T'Challa (Marvel), Bonding, Dark Magic, Gen, Hurt T'Challa, Hurt/Comfort, Journey, Magic, Magical Creatures, Nature Magic, Powerful Everett, Prince!T'Challa, Rites of Passage, Witch!Everett, Witch!Shuri, adventuring and making friends, hurt Everett
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-08
Updated: 2018-05-29
Packaged: 2019-05-04 03:59:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14584467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Destril/pseuds/Destril
Summary: T’Challa is a beloved Prince of Wakanda who is meant to go on a journey to prove himself as a worthy warrior strong enough to take the crown and lead his people. Everett is a wandering witch from another kingdom who gets caught up in the mess.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I know I have other stories going, but I think I've worked out a schedule for them all. Should be updated weekly~

T’Challa gave one last regal wave over his shoulder at the crowds gathered along the street leading out of the palace walls. As the large gates swung closed behind him he felt his stiff, proper posture drop away as he shifted into a more comfortable position on the fine leather saddle.

Though he loved his people and had never grudged his position as their prince, all the formality could be more than a little stifling. Getting out of the palace was a luxury that had seemed to be enjoyed less and less frequently as his time to take the crown had drawn near. Instead his days were full of lessons and training, both in combat as well as the combat of politics and navigating upper class interactions and tradition. 

The kingdom of Wakanda had always been more self-sufficient than the other kingdoms, but they still maintained alliances and trade relations with their neighbors. T’Challa was good at interacting with people of all classes and found diplomacy rather like a challenging game, but his heart had always longed for adventure.

When he was younger he would constantly pester knights and visitors for tales of adventure and the open road. This was his first chance at ever living that fantasy, if even just for a brief time before it became impossible. 

He brought his horse to a slow trot as he grew further from the castle, turning his mind to the task ahead. 

As tradition stated, any member of the royal family who was to take the throne first had to prove themselves to the mighty panther spirit Bast. To do this, the person had to journey to the place of their ancestors. As they made the journey their actions would be judged by the great spirit and the path to the sacred temple would be revealed. If the person found the temple they would be judged one last time by Bast herself and if judged worthy of leading their people, they would be granted Bast’s blessing and be allowed to drink from the heart shaped herb and granted abilities that would help them to serve and protect their people. 

No one of their bloodline had ever been rejected, but that didn’t mean T’Challa was any less nervous. After all, there was always a first and he prayed constantly that it wouldn’t be him.

The journey was a long one, though some parts would have him encounter towns and villages the final part of the journey would be made beyond the borders of Wakanda in a harsh land unclaimed by any kingdom. That was where his real challenge would begin.

Until then, however, it was at least a full day’s ride until he reached the first village and that was if he forwent any breaks. 

He had not often had the chance to visit the villages further from the palace, anything over a day’s ride was usually only completed by his father's warriors or occasionally his father himself to show that the king did in fact care about all his subjects.

Before he had left his mother had pulled him aside and warned him of these further villages and how they often strayed from the laws of the capitol. She had made him promise that he would complete his journey, not interfere with their ways. 

A little baffled by this knowledge he had promised, but surely the outer villages could not be nearly as bad as the Queen mother made them out to be?

Due to the great walls that protected Wakanda and the secretive nature of her people only the subjects who lived closest to the main capitol often knew of when a royal member would leave on their journey and the closer villages would therefore likely be prepared for his arrival. 

He would be thankful for their reception for though he was well prepared for his journey and could easily survive completely alone there was no rule saying he could have no interaction and he was thrilled at the idea of meeting his people in their homes. 

Everything felt too formal when interactions with the people took place in the palace, but here in the taverns and inns of the people he felt he would have a much more authentic experience of Wakanda’s people. 

By late evening he had reached a bustling village. The streets were alive with celebration and his arrival was met with cheers and good spirit. He happily followed the crowds urges and found himself in a large inn where the festivities seemed to come to a head. The night was spent with good drink, good food and even better company.

T’Challa had feared that the people would treat him differently due to his status, but his fears were needless as the small community welcomed him as just another traveler, sharing with him tales of their own experiences and tips and tricks they had learned on the road. He absorbed it all eagerly, comparing his own knowledge of the land he had been taught against their knowledge from experience. As they spoke people came and went and many tankards were emptied, and he learned so much more of the land he would one day soon inherit. 

They celebrated late into the night and the next morning he woke with a smile still on his face. What had to be nearly the entire town rose with the sun to see him off. He was given many hand made things such as a warmer blanket, a better saddle to ease his horse’s discomfort, and a charm that would bring him good fortune along with freshly baked goods and newly harvested fruits and vegetables. 

He thanked them all profusely and promised to visit again on the journey back before setting off. His travels were easy and pleasant, and he took comfort and pride in witnessing firsthand how his kingdom was flourishing. 

T’Challa passed through two more villages over the next week where he received a similar greeting and send off as to that of the first village. Each person he spoke to taught him more about what he was to expect as he grew further from the capitol. 

The third village is where he learned the most of the outer villages and border folk. He learned of their strange habits and willful disregard of the law in some of the more remote ones. He learned of the presence of dark magic and how it had twisted groups of magic users and poisoned their livestock and fields. 

Again, and again T’Challa questioned how it could possibly have become so grim a situation without his family stepping in or the villages complaining, but always received the same answers, either that they were too afraid to confront them directly on the issue or that it was simply easier to leave them to themselves and not interfere. 

This baffled him as he had always been taught that ignorance was no solution in the long term and he could not fathom why that solution was being applied to what seemed to be such a precarious situation within their own borders.

The fact that their people feared some of these cursed villages was unacceptable, but he had promised his mother to not interfere on this journey, once he returned to the capitol, however, he would bring the issue to light. 

After leaving the third village it was nearly two weeks before he encountered any signs of civilization again. The road had fallen further and further into disrepair the further from the capitol he rode, and the landscape had become more wild and unkept. The very air seemed to hold a more vibrant charge here and he could only guess it was the natural magic that his sister Shuri always spoke of, the ancient magic that imbued the very earth. 

The nights were filled with the sounds of the many creatures who roamed the moonlight and the days were a burst of bird song and the rustling of things unseen. 

The sun was just approaching the horizon when he first saw the buildings. Even from here he could feel something off about the place. Where the other villages had been warm with activity and light, this one was too still. 

He approached the entrance slowly ears perked and senses alert for any signs of life. This village was small, hardly more than a few homes clustered together, surrounded by a crumbling stone wall. The sounds of nature around him had ceased and the temperature seemed to drop a few degrees. 

He was no fool, he could almost feel the darkness that permeated this place and would have recognized the signs of dark energy even if he hadn’t sat through dozens of Shuri’s lectures concerning the dangers of such places. 

Taking one last glance at the desolate houses he urged his horse into a turn and guided it to a cluster of boulders nearby, far enough that he could no longer feel the oppressive weight on his shoulders, but close enough that should he need safety during the night that he would be able to reach the village quickly. Cursed or not, the wall would offer a far better advantage in case of an attack.

He quickly pitched a small camp and cared for his horse before settling down for a quick meal. The sun had sunk behind the distant mountains when the sounds first began. At first it was a simple whisper of wind through the grasses, except as he watched the flames of his campfire he confirmed his fears. 

There was no breeze.

He knew what was to come.

Quietly finishing his meal, he tightened the bindings securing his horse to the rocks and carefully wrapped thick fur lined leathers around her ears. Though T’Challa knew this would not block the sounds completely he hoped it would at least muffle them enough that she wouldn’t spook and potentially try to bolt and hurt herself.

Settling back down he climbed into his bedroll and grabbed the remaining strip of fur lined leather keeping it close.

He suspected that he would need it soon.

Not an hour later his suspicions were confirmed as the soft sounds began to rise in pitch and frequency. Soon there wasn’t just one source, but many and they were growing louder and louder and more human like. 

By the time the moon was approaching its highest point the shrieks and screams had become a cacophony of pain and torment, some sounding almost animalistic in their eternal suffering at the hands of the forces that bound them to this cursed place. 

T’Challa knew there was nothing he could do, only a holy person or powerful magic user could have a hope of releasing these souls from their agony and he was neither. Instead he could only lay there, his ears covered by the thick cloth, tears streaming down his face as he offered prayer after prayer to Bast that she might guide someone to this village to help them. 

Eventually the night began to fade and with it the screams. Though he had slept little to none T’Challa rose with the sun and set off quickly wishing to put a large distance between himself and the small village praying that he not encounter another such place in his journey. 

He rode at a slower pace that day, mind straying as his mount plodded on and it was midday by the time he encountered the last village that he would see for the next leg of his journey. This village was further then his father had travelled in a very long time and T’Challa was actually a little excited to be the first royalty that visited this place in such a long time. 

Straightening in his saddle he pulled his horse’s head up and trotted towards the gates which stood open before him. As he approached he noticed that while there was a rather tall wall of sharpened logs which was not abnormal, there were also guard posts sticking slightly over the top and smaller spikes protruding outwards from the base of the wall. 

He slowed slightly, yes, the other villages had built their defenses but that normally just meant a low wall, this village looked like they had prepared for an enemy attack. Cautiously his rode through the gate and stared around the town. There were signs of activity, but no one was around. Approaching the stable off to the side he dismounted and removed the tackle from his horse before giving her feed and water and placing her in a pen next to a slightly smaller, tan mare. 

As he left the stable T’Challa looked around for the stables owner or even a worker he could pay, but there was no one. By now he was more than a little confused. Just as he was about to go knock on a nearby door there suddenly rose a flurry of noise from where he guessed would be the town center.

Ah, there must have been an event happening that had gathered the villagers. Smiling he quickly made his way towards the noise. The other villages had spoken of how dirty and corrupted the outer villages were, but from the amount of noise coming from the town center maybe he should have taken such rumors with a grain of salt. The cheering grew louder as he finally rounded the bend and was able to see the center of the town. 

T’Challa froze in shock.

The town center was filled with people in a semi-circle around a raised platform cheering and jeering at a figure onstage. The figure was hunched back against a pole, shackled arms raised taut against chains in an attempt to protect themselves from the rocks and fruits being thrown by what the prince now realized was not a crowd, but a mob. He could make out little with their head covered and the oversized, layered brown cloaks wrapped around them but the person was small. 

Enraged T’Challa surged forward, but then faltered, he had promised his mother he would not interfere with the happenings of the villages in his travels. He wavered at the edge of the crowd fighting his every instinct to help, maybe they were a criminal, this treatment was cruel even then, but he shouldn't interfere with the punishments and rules of the village.

He bowed his head in shame and began to turn away, he couldn’t watch this, even if he didn’t stop it he couldn’t sit here and witness this brutality when suddenly a word stood out in the yelling. 

“Witch! You filthy sinner!”

T’Challa’s head snapped up. 

A man made his way up from the side of the stage and walked to the front with his arms raised causing the people to pause.

“No one has stepped forward to pay this abomination’s fare so I guess there is nothing to be done.”

The man pretended to look regretful and shrugged.

“After all a criminal who cannot pay for their freedom is of no use and has only one fate left to them.”

The crowd cheered.

“What is his crime?”

T’Challa was startled as he realized it had been him to call out and now found all eyes on him. The man on the platform laughed. 

“Ah a new face is amongst us friends! Welcome traveler! You must be new to the parts to not recognize this man. For months he has brought ruin upon us with his dark magic and devil worship. We finally ran him down this morning as he was trying to poison Garnith’s field!”

The chained man’s head suddenly jerked up showing a middle-aged man with sharp blue eyes and greying hair, half of his face was covered in bruising and blood, some of which seemed to come from a large wound near his temple.

“I wasn’t trying to poison it! I was trying to figure out what was wrong with it, what is wrong with all of the natural things around these parts! I haven’t been here more than a few days for god’s sake!”

“Silence!”

The man was backhanded roughly by the announcer. 

“You said this man couldn’t pay his fare, what was the price?”

Stop this, he told himself, but he couldn’t let this man go to death for a crime he may not have committed and especially if his only crime was having magic, not after he and Shuri had worked too hard to give magic users rights and safety in their kingdom. 

“For the damaged he has caused 200 gold pieces.”

That would be almost all he had left of the money for his quest, but he was in too deep now and his instinct told him that this man was innocent of his charges. 

“I will pay his price.”

The crowd burst into gasps and shouts of outrage at his words and the announcer stared with his mouth agape.

T’Challa ignored them as he made eye contact with the chained witch who was staring at him in awe and fear.

“Good sir, this man is evil! Surely you do not want him debted to you, he would more likely curse you and use you in ritual to his devil masters!”

“I will pay his fee, now release him to me and I will pay you your money.”

The announcer stood frozen for a few moments longer before giving a curt nod to a man standing to the side of the stage who moved forward and began to release the many chains holder the smaller man.

Meanwhile T’Challa began to make his way towards the stage, the people parting silently for him until he made it to the stage and climbed the steps to stand beside the announcer. 

He handed the man the bag of gold and gave him a thin smile and nod as the witch finally released fully fell to the ground with a small gasp of pain. The man who had unchained the witch stepped up to T’Challa with a thick chain and handed it to the prince who, after a moment of confusion, realized it was attached to a large piece of spike iron around the witch’s neck. 

T’Challa’s jaw tightened, but he said nothing.

“Now we know that the thing can’t do any harm at the moment, but you still need to leave now, and take that thing as far as you can from here.”

He glanced back at the announcer in disdain but nodded.

The witch had regained his feet, though he remained in a slight hunch, likely due to an unseen injury. 

Knowing he needed to keep appearances T’Challa caught the witches eye and then let his gaze drift to the chain in his hand. After a moment of wariness, the witch nodded and walked closer as the prince slowly began to walk away. 

T’Challa remained silent until they were well out of earshot of any of the villagers.

“I am so sorry this has happened to you my friend.”

The witch made a short, rough sounds and it was a second before T’Challa recognized it as a laugh.

“It was my own fault for being careless around these parts. So, what do you plan to do with me?”

The prince turned slightly to look at the other man.

“I plan to care for your injuries, give you food and water and get you far from this wretched place. What is your name?”

T’Challa noticed the man stop and quickly halted as well in fear of pulling on the chain. Concerned he turned to look at his new companion who stood eerily still his face one of shock and confusion.  
Slowly the other man’s eyes blue eyes drifted up to meet his own brown and the witch spoke on a long, shocked exhale. 

“Ross. My name is Everett Ross.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> T'Challa gets to know a little more about his new companion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This turned out pretty dialog heavy, but sets up some things I need to get into the action these next few chapters. Will try to stick closer to my update schedule this time.

T’Challa had hoped that he would be able to stay the night and rent a room, maybe get some good food and restock some of his supplies, but there was no thought of that now. Even if he wasn’t now paranoid for his new companion’s safety he would never have been able to stay anywhere near people who had been so cruel to another human being. 

Working their way back to the stables at a brisk pace, T’Challa quickly handed Ross the horrendous chain and began to resaddle his horse. He was so intent on readying his horse as fast as possible that he didn’t immediately notice the other drift away from his side. 

It was only when the mare in the stall next door began to chuff and whicker that he paused and looked up to see Ross gently stroking the smaller horse’s nose affectionately. 

As if noticing the prince’s gaze Ross looked up and gave a small smile.

“I didn’t know what they did with her after they took me, I figured they had sold her off, or I’ve heard that some people will kill animals that have had close contact with folks like me in fear that we leave curses on them.”

He turned back to the horse and smiled a little wider.

“I’m glad they didn’t do something like that to her, she’s been with me for far too long to think of going anywhere without her anymore.”

T’Challa nodded and glanced to the side where there was another set of old worn tackle hanging inside the mare’s stall. 

“Saddle her quickly as you can, I hope to leave here as soon as possible. I am nervous of riding while that thing remains on your neck, but I fear what will happen if we try to remove it while still here. It is best that we leave here on foot and remove it and your shackles once we are away from paranoid eyes.”

Ross nodded slightly, being careful not to jostle the collar. 

“Yes, some might react badly to the sight of a rabid dog without its collar.” 

T’Challa grimaced at the bitterness that laced the others tone and simply worked faster. 

By the time they lead the horses from the stables the crowd from the main square had shift to the gates and lined the main path leading out of the village.

Their hateful stares followed them unblinkingly as they made their way towards the front. They’re pace was slower then T’Challa liked, but he was holding the end of the chain again to keep up appearances and was afraid of pulling on it at all. 

After what seemed like hours they finally reached the gate and passed through it wordlessly. Keeping their slow pace as they continued T’Challa glanced back, but they were still in sight of the villagers who now clustered the opening.

“I’m sorry-”

“It’s fine, a little longer won’t kill me, and you are far gentler than they were when handling that chain.”

T’Challa nodded grimly. 

It took far longer than he would have liked, but finally they were out of sight of the village and T’Challa veered from the main road over towards a small river shaded by the many boulders clustering the shore. 

“Come, let us remove that wretched thing.”

Ross grunted an agreement and took the offered chain end again as T’Challa began to remove his left saddlebag and dig out medicines and clean clothes and bandages. 

When he turned back he found Ross already sat upon a rock at the very edge of the stream using the water to wash some of the grime from his hands and arms. 

Slowly approaching T’Challa took a seat next to the other and laid the supplies on the rock between them as Ross carefully turned his back to him showing where the collar latched.   
With a light touch the prince slowly lifted the crude lock away from the collar and gave it a closer inspection. Luckily it was a rather simple lock. 

Ross must have felt him let go of the device because he turned to glance over his shoulder slightly.

Noticing the other’s gaze T’Challa got up and went back to his pack as he explained.

“The lock is simple enough to pick, a skill I picked up from my mischievous younger sister, we will have that thing removed in no time. 

Ross grinned and nodded.

“If it weren’t for these blockers I would try to help out, but these pesky buggers are gonna be a lot more tedious to remove and I’d rather deal with the more painful things first.

T’Challa glanced over to see the other man frowning in annoyance at the thick cuffs that encircled his wrists.

“I’m surprised they have access to such devices. How much have they bound of your abilities, if I may ask? It has been a very long time since I’ve seen such cruel devices, they have long since been banned in the capitol.”

As he spoke he walked back over and began to manipulate the lock. 

“Well we aren’t exactly anywhere near the capitol, unfortunately I am not nearly as surprised they had these on hand, my kind isn’t exactly popular around these parts. As for you question enough to make me rather useless in the abilities category.”

T’Challa frowned, had the people here truly strayed so far from Bast’s light and the laws? 

A few slighter movements and the lock clicked open allowing T’Challa to carefully open it’s deadly jaws and move it away from the others bloody neck. He quickly threw it to the ground and handed Ross a cloth which the other dipped in the cool water and used to begin to clean his neck. 

After the area was wiped clean T’Challa grabbed some medical salve and gave that and the bandages to the other before sitting back slightly, staying close in case the other wanted assistance.

As he watched the other begin to carefully treat his wounds he couldn’t help but ask the question that had been burning his tongue. 

“If you knew of these people’s hatred for magic why would you come to this place? There are plenty of places far more accepting of the arcane.”

Ross glanced at him pausing in his ministrations, a little more guarded now.

“I could ask the same of you. You have helped me greatly, yet you have yet to tell me your name, you dress yourself and your horse like common folk, yet I know a war steed when I see one and your accent is too thick to be from anywhere from the capitol. Plus, no traveler carries enough coin to just dole out a payment like that and not seem concerned, so I ask, who are you actually?”

T’Challa opened his mouth to reply and reveal his identity, but suddenly hesitated. He had no idea who this man actually was, and it seemed that his mother’s warnings had spoken true of the border villages. But he had always found that telling the truth was often the better solution, plus as Shuri had told him many times, he was a horrible liar.

He had hesitated too long, he had to deliver his words perfectly now should he wish to be believed. 

“You are correct in your observations my friend, I am from the capitol, a prince in fact. My name is T’Challa.”

Ross was staring at him hard and for some reason the prince began to feel strangely nervous under the others piercing stare. 

It suddenly occurred to him that maybe revealing his status and the obvious wealth that came with it to a complete stranger had been a truly bad idea.

T’Challa started to stutter out something, anything to cover his tracks when Ross beat him to it. 

“Really? I know I know it's obvious I’m not from here, but you really thought I wouldn’t know the name and appearance of the soon to be king of this kingdom? You couldn’t have picked a better alias?”

Wait, what?

“Look it makes sense, I mean I’m not an idiot you are obviously a knight of some sort out here on some mission for the king, I mean why else would you be this far out. Though I guess in a way pretending to be a prince is certainly one way to earn you a lot less trouble from the local rabble, but you best be careful should anyone recognize that you’re not him. I mean you play the part of the prince on his first skip outside the garden well, but that could also make you a target! Especially out here where all you look like is a big pouch of gold. Actually, you know what it was a horrible idea to pretend to be the Prince, who let you leave with that as your cover?” 

T’Challa was reeling a little from the quick swap from panic to confusion his heart still pumping from adrenaline. The other man didn’t believe him?

“That really is my name! I am the prince of Wakanda”

“Of course, your highness.”

“I am and please don’t call me that.”

“Then what should I call you, my lord?”

T’Challa looked away, somehow embarrassed by the titles despite hearing them all his life.

“Please just use my name.”

Something in his tone must have sounded off because the other gave him a strange look before going back to cleaning his wounds. 

It was silent for a moment as he watched the strange man start to bandage his wounds, hovering nearby in case the other needed any assistance.

To keep himself from just staring at the other man he began to pull out supplies from his bag, figuring this was as good a place to spend the night as any. He was just about to rise to water their horses when Ross spoke up again.

“Okay, so say you are the prince, what would you be doing this far from the capitol alone? Shouldn’t someone of that kind of status have some kind of protection?”

T’Challa shook his head and lead the horses closer to the water, turning back to witch as they began to drink. He was pleased to see the other had been able to clean and bandage his wounds and had donned the new clothing that T’Challa had left. They were a little too large and long for the other man’s slighter build, but they would have to do until they found somewhere to buy or trade for new ones.

“I’m afraid that I am unwilling to share such information with you now as I know very little of you.”

“Fair, enough I would probably be the same in your situation, but unfortunately since I’m stuck with you for the foreseeable future I need a little more to go on then that.”

The prince frowned at the other’s wording.

“By what do you mean stuck with me?”

Now it was Ross’ turn to frown as he glanced up from where he had been starting to gather twigs and driftwood.

“You bought my life from the executioner, I am with you till I can pay you back whether it be in coin, time or service?”

T’Challa was completely taken aback and quickly expressed such.

“You cannot buy another’s life! You owe me nothing, I simply did what was right. You may leave any time you wish.”

“Oh no no no. That isn’t how that works your highness. I owe you a life debt and that is not something one takes lightly.”

T’Challa was baffled.

“Life debt? I did not mean for you to owe me anything, I simply hated seeing such injustice.”

Ross was becoming a little frustrated.

“It doesn’t matter what you meant by it you saved me from execution and by the old ways and the new I am bound to repay that debt so that what I’m going to do! How can you not understand how serious this is? Surely you have been outside the capitol before now? Or at least learned of the old ways? Wait, no, by the goddess you really are a greenleaf aren’t you?”

The younger man felt a dark blush crawling up his neck, so what if he had never left, many born in the city hadn’t! There was never really any need.

Ross was looking at him strangely now.

“What are you doing out here? You don’t even know of the old ways which is what governs most of these parts still. You are going to get yourself killed just wandering around so listen up ya? I’m going to tell you some things you should already know if you plan to stay out here. My life is bound to yours until the time comes where I have sufficiently repaid that debt. Until that happens I am going to be traveling with you on whatever mad quest you’re on.”

T’Challa started to speak up again but Ross cut him off.

“No, listen. You don’t have to tell me where we are going right now, at least not completely, but I do need to know something because I now have an invested interest in the success of this quest and since I am quickly beginning to suspect that you know little to nothing about how things work out here I have a feeling you might find me quite helpful. So where are we going your highness?”

T’Challa kept silent for a moment letting the other’s words sink in before letting out a long breath. 

“It seems you are not going to change your mind about this.”

“Nope.”

“Fine then, but I must warn you this journey will be long and hard as we go on. I cannot tell you of the reason for our travel or the final destination that we will seek, but I can say that we are heading towards the Jabari border.”

Ross crouched and began to take some of the river stones and form a small fire pit as T’Challa retethered their horses. 

“The Jabari? If we keep heading that direction we will be in the wild lands. What could a capitol dweller want out there? You’re not someone who would seek anything there?”

“I cannot say, but you speak as if others may be there?”

Ross paused in his stacking of the leaves and twigs to look at T’Challa in confusion.

“Well of course others will go there, the place is riddled with bandit tribes looking for people coming across the border and the ancient groves are a well of natural magic which attracts all sorts of beings. I myself passed through one such grove before coming here. For a worshiper of Yavanna there is no purer place then the forests where the earth remains so untouched.”

T’Challa stopped at that.

“You worship the green goddess? Then does your magic steam from it as well?” 

“So, it seems the sheltered prince knows something of magic? Yes, I draw my power from the earth, it’s why I came here to begin with, I could feel the corruption in the air here and I couldn’t ignore such a dangerous thing. I took care of the problem, an old burial site which had been used for horrible things, when those fools from the village found me.”

With a small snap of the witch’s fingers a spark caught the dry leaves of the fire pit and Ross carefully breathed life into the flames.

“My sister is a witch, though she worships the panther goddess Bast, she taught me much of the traditions and types of magic that have come to be in this land. It is another reason I was so quick to help you.”

“Hm, maybe you know more than I thought about life out here.”

After that the two worked in tandem to set up the camp and after a brief dinner of rations they settled down to sleep.

T’Challa suggested they set up a watch of some sorts, knowing that these parts were more dangerous, but the other shot it down explaining that he would feel the approach of anyone malicious and be able to alert the prince. 

As they both settled into their bedrolls T’Challa couldn’t help but tuck his sword close. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust that the other would be able to warn them of danger, but he was still not completely sure he could trust the other man to not turn on him and kill him in his sleep. 

He would give Ross the benefit of the doubt for now, after all he had not done anything yet to make T’Challa suspicious, however, until he had a better judge of the other’s character he would be wary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not as long as I wanted it to be but I figured it was better to post it at this length then make it even later. Shout out if you recognize Ross' goddess~ Next chapter soon.


End file.
